Unexplainable Technology in Modern Cars

[MGDavid]

Originally Posted by wnut

No arguments here! When I drive the car, just thinking of all that junk swirling around the cogs makes my skin crawl!

mostly, it doesn't.
The casings are usually designed with a tiny 'sump' in the bottom where the metal flakes and chips and dust will gather and coalesce into a sticky substance. Look out for it next time you have one apart.